Allahabad High Court judge Yashwant Varma on Thursday tendered his resignation to President Draupadi Murmu, effectively ending the ongoing parliamentary probe into allegations of unaccounted funds discovered at his official residence in Delhi last year. People familiar with the matter confirmed the development to HT.
“Although I do not propose to burden your honorable office with the reasons which have compelled me to submit this letter, it is with great anguish that I hereby tender my resignation from the office of Judge of the Hon’ble High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, with immediate effect,” the letter dated April 9 said.
“It has been an honor to serve in this position,” he added.
What’s next?
The resignation of Justice Yashwant Varma effectively brings to a halt the proceedings initiated under the Judges (Investigation) Act, 1968, as the legal mechanism of impeachment, initiated through a motion in Parliament, ceases to function once a judge leaves office.
Varma was facing removal proceedings after the Lok Sabha motion was accepted in August 2025, with a three-member probe committee set up by Speaker Om Birla to probe the accusations.
The move marks an abrupt end to a closely watched, procedurally complex impeachment process that has already seen delays.
Last February, the Speaker of the House of Representatives reconstituted the Investigation Committee after one of its members, M.M., retired. Shrivastava, before the investigation is completed, requiring resumption of the process under the law.
Varma has been at the center of controversy since allegations emerged that burning piles of unaccounted cash were recovered from his official residence in Delhi after a fire in March 2025, when he was serving as a Delhi High Court judge.
A subsequent internal investigation by the Supreme Court found his explanation unsatisfactory, prompting then Chief Justice of India Sanjeev Khanna to recommend action to the executive.
This triggered impeachment proceedings in Parliament, with notifications being transferred to both houses in July 2025. With Varma stepping down, the continuation of the investigation under the law became unacceptable, bringing a rare case of impeachment against a Supreme Court judge to a sudden close.
